Royal Challengers Bengaluru has brought Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Mangesh Yadav for 5.2 crores. The youngster revealed that he thought there might be one franchise that was interested in him, but never expected four to go after him and shoot his base price.
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“I’ve received more calls than I ever have previously. But these are things I’ll have to deal with going forward,” Mangesh Yadav, speaking to ESPNcricinfo.
“I didn’t know how all of it feels, but I’m blessed to have a lot of people from my own state, like Rajat [Patidar] bhaiyya, Venky [Iyer] bhaiyya and Anand Rajan [former Madhya Pradesh seamer] sir for guidance. Not having to ask my father for money felt like an achievement. Today, I still don’t know how to process the feeling of getting such a massive bid. I want to make my parents feel comfortable. For that, I have to work hard and can’t get carried away.”
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Despite the glitz and glamour of the IPL, Mangesh revealed that he wanted to continue to perform well in the Vijay Hazare trophy too.
“I’ve imagined what it’ll be like wearing the RCB jersey and standing on top of my run-up. But I’ve also imagined picking up wickets and winning games for MP. That is my primary goal,” Mangesh said.
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How did RCB do in the Auction
Venkatesh Iyer was purchased by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 7 crore at the IPL mini auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as their first signing. The reigning champions were involved in a bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders, but eventually got the player. He has played for KKR in the past and has made 1468 runs in 62 matches.
Having ended what seemed like a never-ending wait for a title last season, RCB now face a challenge that is arguably more difficult than winning the IPL itself – defending it. They have chosen to not tinker too much with a combination that literally ended up being declared the best in the league last year but where they would be worried would be the depth, or lack of it, in their fast bowling department. Josh Hazlewood is injured and his workload management is a worry while Yash Dayal has played no professional cricket since last season’s IPL itself.
Updated squad: Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thushara, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Satwik Deswal, Jordan Cox, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan
